I currently weight 270 pounds and I'm 16 years old. Months ago, I finally weight myself after years and never thought I was that "big". I was 280. My mother is pretty big too and I couldn't believe my weight surpassed hers. I started a number of things to lose weight. I do brisk walking/jogging for at least an hour every morning. I never really ate fast food but I cut down on the salty foods, sweet stuff and junk foods. I eat 2-3 meals each day which is usually a bowl of plain cornflakes sometimes sweetened with honey. This one time- I started a liquid milk diet. I drank unsweetened milk straight from the box every time I got hungry but after a couple of days I got really sick to the point that I couldn't leave the house. I would pee every 5 minutes (no exaggeration) and it was really heavy.
But anyways, after all of that, I only lost 10 pounds. I've lost a lot of motivation but I want to be pretty and be able to look at myself in the mirror and not feel disgusted.
I'm pretty young and I don't dress my age. Most of the clothes in my size are for grandmas. I have this saying, "Fat people take what they can get." I'm not into sexy but still. Clothes look good on the rack but when you try it on it's different. I'm not relatively ugly but no one wants to date a fat girl. It's ruining my social life that I don't have a boyfriend. I sometimes skip on outings with my friends because they all have boyfriends and it's uncomfortable to be by myself. Even when they are single, guys easily approach them and I'm just here...awkward.
My goal weight is around 45kg. (I'm not very tall) I want to at least be 55kg by my 18th birthday. I want to be able to have confidence and have fun and dress how I want while I'm still in my teens. I've been watching weight loss success videos on youtube and it takes much more that 2 years for
them to only lose about 50 pounds. Is it possible to reach my goal in 2 years? Any advice?
tl;dr I'm 270 pounds and 16 and I want to be at least 55kg before my 18th birthday. Is there anyway that this is possible? Any advice?
Just wanted to say a lot of what you said about being young and having to skip out on events really got to me! It's something that affected me a lot when I was in high school and college (I'm in my late 20s now) so you're very smart for wanting to make a difference at this age!! I really wish I did it back then.
You've come to a great place though! The members on here have really helped me mentally, even though I'm not at goal yet, I know 3fc has a helped a lot with me staying focused.
I think with a proper diet and exercise you can definitely lose the weight! Just a word of advice, you should find a diet that incorporates the most value for your calories, so things that are generally more filling, have nutritional value, and are realistic for the long run (<-- this is very important!!) . The liquid diet sounds awful, and honestly probably isn't a realistic diet that anyone could stick with.
I tried a lot of diets before one worked for me. The first 30lbs I lost was on Dukan (basically he gives you a list of foods you can eat and there isn't any calorie counting, it's high protein, low carb diet) I eventually got bored of it though, but it gave me the boost I need to continue. I think for me, being a student finding something realistic was the hardest part. It doesn't even have to be a complete switch, you can slowly change one meal at a time, until you figure out what works for you. I used to use honey as a replacement for sugar (currently on my second day without it!) and I don't even crave it anymore. Your taste buds really do change when you find foods that are better for you.
Anyway, I'm just babbling away now, but just wanted to say don't give up because you didn't lose weight on the liquid diet! There are healthier (and easier) ways of losing weight where you won't feel so deprived.
Good luck!! and you should check out the goal section on this forum, there are some great stories to use as motivation when you're feeling down, it really helps!! You got this!!
I completely understand, and definitely empathised with you. When I was eighteen I weighed in at 273lbs. I missed out on a lot of things due to my insecurities and lack of confidence. I hated the way I looked and how I felt. But it has been a year since then and I have lost over 70lbs.
I think what is most important for you is to have a really healthy, well-rounded diet and regular exercise. Skipping meals or limiting the amount of food you eat will not help you lose weight - your body will go into starvation mode and continue to store fat. You also need to make sure that you are eating enough protein, which may include chicken, salmon, turkey, eggs, etc. The protein will help you, trust me. But also remember to eat fruits and vegetables, and always eat breakfast.
I wanted to add another thing. Lose weight for you - not for anyone else. Losing weight because you want to feel beautiful and comfortable, and have confidence. Don't lose it for a boy, or a friend, or parents. I tried to lose weight when I was sixteen for a boy, but that only lasted for a couple of months before I realised that he didn't like me and I began binge eating again. It wasn't until I got into the mentality of losing weight to better me, to be more confident and comfortable, that it really began to work.
If you ever want to chat, feel free to message me! I would love to continue talking to you
Listen to Madeline, she said just about what I was going to say. Fruits and veggies and protein will help your body work the way it is supposed to, keep up with your brisk walk and get healthier eating habits you can stick with (a corn flakes or any "one food" diet will be too hard to keep doing).
Eat healthy and exercise and you'll turn your body into a fat burning furnace instead of a storage facility.
Like the others have said, you are very smart to address this now. It may take some experimentation but you can get this. I think that you have been given great advice, eat healthy, lots of vegetables, fruits and enough protein. Try to limit the starchy vegetables like potatoes. Would your mother help you? At 16 I am assuming that she does most of the shopping so you may need to recruit her.
It is great that you have started exercising. It is also great that you have cut down on the salty foods, sweet stuff and junk foods. Those foods can give you lots of calories with little to no nutritional value and can actually make you hungrier. Eliminate them as much as you possibly can.
I had to convert the kg to pounds but if I understand correctly you want to lose about 50 pounds before your 18th birthday. At your age that is very doable but don't give up if weight does not come off as fast as you hope. We are all experiments of one.
Most important, in my mind, be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up and be harder on yourself than you would be on others. Let us know how things are going. I think that you will find people here to be very helpful.
limiting the amount of food you eat will not help you lose weight - your body will go into starvation mode and continue to store fat.
Well, no. You have to limit the amount of food you eat to lose weight. And while your metabolism may slow down a little, you won't "store fat" if you're in a consistent caloric deficit. I do agree that the best way to go about it is with a well-balanced diet centered around healthy, filling foods. For someone starting out at 270 pounds, I would suggest starting with no less than 1,500 calories a day.
Freelance
p.s. To the OP: Losing 150 pounds in 2 years is certainly possible, but I strongly suggest you focus on the process rather the rate of weight loss. If you eat 1,500 calories of primarily healthy, filling foods every day, you WILL lose weight steadily. Make today your first day. Expect the first week to be difficult, but it will get easier and easier, especially when you start seeing results.
Last edited by freelancemomma; 09-11-2013 at 09:26 AM.
I was about your size at your age as well. It was very difficult for me and I wish I had gotten healthy back then. You are so wise to deal with this now. I was totally terrified of the scale and ashamed of the shape I was in, on top of having highly critical (as well as overweight parents) so I ignored it and it got worse. I think you're incredibly brave to put yourself out there. I couldn't face what I had done to myself and here I am at 22 and about 320lbs dealing with it now.
Those diets you described sound super unhealthy. Do some googling and find a good healthy & balanced diet to follow. Get your mum on board! I imagine she's the one buying the groceries. Aaaaaaand exercise, exercise, exercise!
Good luck girly and keep us updated!
Congrats to you for making this change! You want to lose a lot of weight, so you really need a good long term plan to get there. Being a more healthy size for your 18th birthday sounds like a great goal. With a great diet and a good exercise plan you can expect to lose up to 2.5 pounds a week. It won't be easy, there will be times that you don't seem to lose weight at all, some weeks you might even gain a little, but if you stick to your plan you will eventually reach your goal!
But you need a real diet, crash diets like only drinking milk don't work and can make you sick. If you feel comfortable, you should talk to a nurse or councilor at your school, they should be able to give you information about weight loss support in your area.
You also said that your mom is also overweight ... do you think you can talk to her about working together to make this change? She may welcome the chance to make some healthy changes in her life too. It's always easier to lose weight with others to support you and if the two of you can work together to improve your diet it will help your whole family.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress! Look around the board and find out what kinds of diets work an pick the one that feels like something you can do.
I'm sorry for how you are feeling and what you are going through *big hugs* I'm no expert by any means but I agree with what others have said with start out by eating healthy and exercising
Post this in two other forums and was so suprised at all the responses here.
*hugs back mzshaunna and madeline* *hugs everyone else*
My mom is usually too tired too exercise but I'll definitely try to get her on board with eating healthier!
I want to thank all of you so much. I was actually looking for someone to lay down a regiment for me but I got much better. I'm a lot more motivated now to lose weight and I've done a lot of research. I was actually going to starve myself and thought it was "easier" but I know better now.
Thanks a lot you guys. Before, I was actually thinking that it's a lot easier to just stay this way but I have more belief that I can eventually reach my goal. This was so helpful <3
I am so glad to hear that you are going about this the healthy way, and that you are going to try and motivate your mother in the process. The first seven months of my weight loss I went about it alone, and it wasn't until then that my father, mother and brother began to adopt the healthy lifestyle too. It is so much more helpful, supporting and beneficial.
I wish you both the best, and don't forget to send me a message if you ever want to chat about anything
I congratulate you for making this change now! I wasn't very over weight as a teen (just more "hefty") but I was always the largest in our group of friends. I somehow thought that I am trying to lose weight seriously, for the first time in my life, anything over like 10#, that it wouldn't be that hard. Trust me, at age 49, it's alot harder than when I was young, I think!
Sweetie, we are on your side and cheering you along the whole way. Take it from a MOM, do it for YOU- you are so precious and you DESERVE every day of happiness you have ahead of you!
MrsKevin
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Mini Goal: 50# off by Christmas
Long Term Goal (hopefully by Birthday in Feb 2014)
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Long Term Goal: 82# to lose My Mini Goals:
Under 200#
I wish you the absolute best of luck, and I applaud you for trying to get a handle on your weight during your (from experience) difficult teenage years. I had already hit your weight when I was about 12, so I know what you're going through. But I didn't start trying to lose weight until about three years ago, when I was 21.
You've gotten a lot of good advice here, so if I could say anything to help you, it would be about what you said of your body and not having a boyfriend. I've had exactly one boyfriend in my almost 24 years, and it was one I met online at the age of 17 who was in the same physical shape I was and who treated me pretty badly, because I felt like I could never be good enough for a guy who would treat me right. It took two years but I finally ditched him, and have been so happier since.
Please, please do not spend your awesome late-teenage years locking yourself away just because you're single. From my experience, your friends aren't looking at you and seeing your weight. They're seeing you (if they're friends worth having) and they want to spend time with you. Please, while you're eating healthy and losing weight, accept your body and get out there and have some fun.
I couldn't accept myself until I started college and met others from all different walks of life. That was when I learned to just be myself, and that was when I started making many more friends, because I could get out and have fun without worrying that everyone was staring at the giant in the group (me).
I don't dress sexy or revealing (personal choice, I'm not comfortable showing my body), but I've discovered ways to look attractive. No, I'm not anywhere near being a normal size, and I have major body image issues, but just take it one day at a time.
Sorry for going on so long, your post just kind of made me think of myself eight years in the past. And if I could go back and tell myself things, it would be what I just typed to you. Please don't try to hate yourself thin. I know it's "easier said than done", but just be thankful for a healthy body, and remember that you are beautiful. You can eat right and exercise and the weight will come off, we all believe in you here.
Last edited by LaceyCen; 09-13-2013 at 09:56 AM.
Reason: spelling
270lbs at 16yrs
*big hugs* I'm no expert by any means but I agree with what others have said with start out by eating healthy and exercising
